Occasional extra whining from engine

[CJ_Boxster]

I have this annoying problem that happens occasionally. I will sometimes have alittle extra whining from the engine during acceleration or sustained speeds/rpms. Saying Im coasting at about 2800 rpm... and the engine whine will be kinda loud sometimes which makes the engine sound like im coasting at 4000 rpm's... And i hate it! Sometimes i dont have any extra engine whining and I can almost hear nothing from the engine while coasting at 3000 rpms... It comes and goes.

FYI, i have 2 secondary air-injection CEL codes at the moment... maybe related?

Idles nice and smooth even during loud engine whining moments.

Sometimes burns gas pretty quickly during gentle driving and sometimes wont.

1997 Boxster, 115,000 miles Original Engine.

Anyone else experience this?

[caffeinetrip]

Hmm...I guess I'd have to hear it to really know what you're talking about but the "whine" for some reason is a porsche trademark. My boxster did the same thing before I put the exhaust on...well it may do it now I just can't hear it. But my roommates 02' 911 Turbo does it as well.

By the way, we have almost the exact same year and mileage! 97' with 113k miles. =)

[CJ_Boxster]

I know the whine you speak of and when i first bought the boxster it did that... well it still does but on occasion it is extra loud. So loud that when i was driving with my buddy in the car, he asked me why im driving at such high RPMs but i was only at 2800 rpms, so the noise to him tricked him into thinking im in the 4000 rpm's range.

[paulo986]

I have a 2000 Boxster with 91,000 miles and it is in the shop at this very moment with one of the issues being this whine. I get it around 2800 rpm on occasion . Seems less with ac on. It sounds like it is comong from under the dash on the passenger side. It is really annoying kinda harmonic and stays in a narrow rpm range. If anyone knows what this is i would love to know.

paulo986

[CJ_Boxster]

Well when my engine whine is anoying, it sounds about double the actual rpm's that im driving at in all of the RPM range.

[psng]

CJ,

Does it happen after a cold start in the morning? And goes away when the engine is fully warmed up?

My wife 99 VW Golf air injection pump does that in the morning for awhile. It is part of the emission system to blow cold air to the exhaust during warm-up. I suspect what is on the Boxster is similar. When the system does not detect any air during the cycle, it will give you a CEL. Since you can hear the noise, the air pump (the expensive part) is probably ok. I would check the hose that runs from the pump to the exhaust because the noise is louder than before. While you at it, you might also check all the related vacuum hoses too.

Peter

I have this annoying problem that happens occasionally. I will sometimes have alittle extra whining from the engine during acceleration or sustained speeds/rpms. Saying Im coasting at about 2800 rpm... and the engine whine will be kinda loud sometimes which makes the engine sound like im coasting at 4000 rpm's... And i hate it! Sometimes i dont have any extra engine whining and I can almost hear nothing from the engine while coasting at 3000 rpms... It comes and goes.

FYI, i have 2 secondary air-injection CEL codes at the moment... maybe related?

Idles nice and smooth even during loud engine whining moments.

Sometimes burns gas pretty quickly during gentle driving and sometimes wont.

1997 Boxster, 115,000 miles Original Engine.

Anyone else experience this?

[CJ_Boxster]

Its there in the mornings at col startup and still there after its warmed up

[Topless]

Could be related to your 2nd gear synchro issues. When a synchro goes it often whines. Time for a good used trans? Oh and Happy birthday CJ!

[CJ_Boxster]

Thanks Topless! Nope i dont think its related to the 2nd gear grind issue since the engine whining happens in any gear and even in neutral if i press the throttle, i can tell easily the difference from normal sounding engine days to very loud engine noise days.

[RFM]

Hi

Try this to start with, it's easy to do. Remove the poly V belt from the engine and let the engine idle, if the noise disappears it means that one of the roller bearings or the alternator etc. are faulty. Check the power steering fluid level. Check the clutch release bearing, is there a difference in noise while pushing the clutch pedal ?

[jefla]

CJ --this is a long shot, but maybe your noise involves the onboard refueling vapor recovery (ORVR) system that's been causing noises on my "00 base. See http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=15730. In short, I have a whinning or whistling noise coming from the front right of the car, which is most pronounced around 2500 rpm. In its early days it definitely "whinned", like a wheel bearing. It's source is the vent hole in the front of my gas filler cap, which is part of the ORVR.

good luck

[CJ_Boxster]

Thanks jefla, ill try placing a peice of tape over the hole to see if the noise goes away, the whine has gone for now, should be back in a matter of days.

[tommy914]

I have this annoying problem that happens occasionally. I will sometimes have alittle extra whining from the engine during acceleration or sustained speeds/rpms. Saying Im coasting at about 2800 rpm... and the engine whine will be kinda loud sometimes ..........

Anyone else experience this?

I often hear whining when putting along at 2800 rpm too, but mine sounds more like this "Why are you going so slow?" "Step on the gas you old fart" "Quit driving like an old lady" "You know the redline is 7200 don't you?!?"

This may or may not be the same problem you are having... or it could just be voices in my head.

Edited September 19, 2007 by tommy914

[CJ_Boxster]

CJ --this is a long shot, but maybe your noise involves the onboard refueling vapor recovery (ORVR) system that's been causing noises on my "00 base. See http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=15730. In short, I have a whinning or whistling noise coming from the front right of the car, which is most pronounced around 2500 rpm. In its early days it definitely "whinned", like a wheel bearing. It's source is the vent hole in the front of my gas filler cap, which is part of the ORVR.

good luck

Well looks like you hit it on the head, I placed a peice of tape over the hole and the whining is gone. Im not sure if this is typical but the acceleration felt a hell of alot smoother and ever so slightly stronger and idled alittle more smoother than it already was. Anyways THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!

Edited September 18, 2007 by CJ_Boxster